Have you ever thought about what makes a great cup of coffee? Is it the type of beans? The country it’s from? Or is it how your barista would make it? Like most of us, i know a good cup of coffee when i get one, but i just can’t seem to point out what makes it great- until recently.

Last week, Nespresso introduced its Master Origin range. It’s an improvement of their Pure Origin range- a collection of selective, premium and high quality coffee. But what could be better than carefully selected, premium, high quality coffee right? Well, let me tell you- it’s the unique harvesting and coffee processing practices that each country has.

The Master Origin range comes from five different origins, each with its own unique processing method: Ethiopia, Indonesia, India, Colombia & Nicaragua.

Here is what makes each of these coffee special in their own way:

ETHIOPIADry Processed Arabica

Known as the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia has been producing some of the best coffees in the world. For hundreds of years, the craftsmen here use a method that involves drying the whole coffee fruit and only removing the seed once the cherry is desiccated. The process involves:

Picking and selecting ripe coffee cherries,

Spreading them out on raised patios to dry in the open air under the full sun,

Fully dried cherries are milled to remove the seed (which is in fact the coffee bean that we roast).

INDIARobusta Monsoon

In India, coffee cherries are selectively picked, they are sorted, dried and hulled to their green bean state. They are then brought to coastal warehouses with wide open sides that allow for free cross-ventilation, where the monsooning process begins.

There, the coffee beans are spread on the ground, allowing them to absorb moisture from the atmosphere. Moisture goes up from 10.5%- 11% up to 14% over the period of 3 months. throughout this period, the beans are repeatedly raked and shifted to prevent mould.

Although usually applied to Arabica beans, Nespresso asks their supply partners to monsoon Robusta instead, an unusual procedure that delivers an unusual profile.

COLOMBIALate Harvest Arabica

Colombia practices an unusual method. Instead of collecting red ripe coffee cherries, farmers leave them longer on the trees. The cherry’s colour becomes darker (dark purplish red) and develops unique winey, berry notes. But if picked too late, the taste of the coffee turns into fermented notes and as a consequence, the whole harvest is lost.

The timing between “just right late harvest” and “too late harvest” is very short-a few days- making this process very tedious and complex to execute for farmers.

The Result:
Bright, vivacious, with winey and red fruit notes.

Intensity Level:
6

NICARAGUABlack-Honey Processed Arabica

This unusual coffee is partly made with “Black Honey” processed beans. In this method, farmers pulp their coffee cherries as they normally would, but then dry the beans with most of the coffee fruit (“mucilage”) still remaining.

The process can take up to several weeks and requires constant monitoring to perfect the flavours and prevent defect. The Honey process allows coffee’s natural sugars to infuse the very heart of the bean with its soft sweetness, resulting in a balanced, sweet cup.

The Result:
Satiny smooth texture and sweet cereal notes.

Intensity Level:
5

If you didn’t get to explore these amazing flavours at the last event in Pavilion, Nespresso will be giving you another chance t0 experience and taste this range at their upcoming event happening in KLCC. Details are as below:

i had taken a short course on how to be a Barista once during my younger days. as a kid, i never really understood or appreciated the art of coffee making until i was the one behind the bar making coffee. its a great skill that one should be proud of. different coffee beans gives the coffee different taste, aroma and texture. A Barista that can mix and match every coffee to a customer’s prefered taste is truly a master at the art of coffee making.

I’m not a coffee drinker, the caffeine makes me super hyper so I never liked drinking it. But I’m sure many coffee drinkers would appreciate Nespresso drinks, especially since it’s located in KLCC. And, I like the packaging, it is so cute.